The NBA HBCU Classic is in the books and Winston-Salem State looked the part of the defending CIAA champion.
WSSU came up with a 64-47 victory over CIAA rival Virginia Union in Indianapolis at the NBA All-Star Weekend in. It improved to 17-8 on the season and swept the regular season matchup between the two teams.
Sophomore guard KC Shaw scored a game-high 15 points and dished out three assists while Jaylen Alston finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds as the Rams won their third straight.
“Being able to come out here in front of all these people – it’s amazing to me,” Alston told TNT about playing in the NBA HBCU Classic. “I didn’t expect this many people just because we don’t see that many big crowds. But a crowd like this is amazing to have. I thank the NBA, I thank the CIAA and everybody for letting us come to this event and participate.”
WSSU jumped out to a 6-0 lead early in the game before Virginia Union mounted a comeback that saw it lead 24-23 late in the first half despite shooting under 35 percent. WSSU finished the half on a 10-0 run to take a 32-23 lead into halftime.
WSSU’s defense continued to remain strong in the second half, hitting the offensive glass and shooting a solid 46 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes. It led by as many as many as 23 points in the second half as it rolled to the win.
Issac Parson came up big with 12 points and 11 assists for WSSU while Jaylin Parker added 11 points off the bench, hitting three 3-pointers in the win.
Tahj Harding led Virginia Union with 11 points. He was the lone player from VUU with double figures as it shot just 37 percent from the field from the game. It did, however, hit 53 percent of its 3-point attempts.
WSSU returns to CIAA Southern Division play on Thursday when it travels to Shaw University. Virginia Union falls to 11-17 and will return to CIAA Northern Division play when it travels to Elizabeth City State on Wednesday.
Saturday’s game was the third annual NBA HBCU Classic.